Nonvolatile memory device and method for fabricating the same

ABSTRACT

A nonvolatile memory device includes a floating gate formed over a substrate; a contact plug formed on a first side of the floating gate and disposed parallel to the floating gate with a gap defined therebetween; and a spacer formed on a sidewall of the floating gate and filling the gap, wherein the contact plug and the floating gate have a sufficiently large overlapping area to enable the contact plug to operate as a control gate for the floating gate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2012-00151093, filed on Dec. 21, 2012, which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor devicefabrication technology, and more particularly, to a nonvolatile memorydevice and a method for fabricating the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

A life environment is being changed such that anyone can convenientlyuse desired information anytime and anywhere, thanks to recentlydeveloped digital media devices. As a conversion is made from analog todigital, a variety of rapidly spreading digital devices require storagemedia capable of conveniently storing captured images, recorded musicand various data. In order to meet this requirement, there is a growinginterest in the field of a system-on-chip (SoC) according to a tendencyfor a high degree of integration of non-memory semiconductors, andsemiconductor manufacturers compete to invest in the SoC field in aneffort to strengthen SoC-based technology. In an SoC, multiple systemtechnologies are integrated in one semiconductor.

In the SoC field where complicated technologies are integrated, a needfor an embedded memory to trim an analog device or store an internaloperation algorithm is gradually increasing as chips with a compositefunction in which a digital circuit and an analog circuit are mixedbecome more common. In particular, an embedded memory of interest is aflash electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). Thisis because the flash EEPROM is a highly integrated nonvolatile memorydevice which can store data even in a power-off state like a ROM and iscapable of electrically erasing and programming data. EEPROMs include asingle gate EEPROM which has one gate (for example, a floating gate), astack gate (ETOX) EEPROM in which two gates (for example, a floatinggate and a control gate) are vertically stacked, a dual gate EEPROM, anda split gate EEPROM.

Because the characteristics of an analog device can be affected byvariation corresponding to the number of processes used to create thedevice, an embedded memory to be applied to a system-on-chip includingan analog device should be fabricated using a CMOS process or a logicprocess while minimizing additional processes so that process variationis minimized.

However, in the conventional art, since the stack gate EEPROM, the dualgate EEPROM and the split gate EEPROM need additional processes tocreate additional structures, limitations exist in applying the stackgate EEPROM, the dual gate EEPROM and the split gate EEPROM to anembedded memory. Conversely, while the single gate EEPROM may be formedwith fewer process steps, since a floating gate is coupled using a wellwhich is formed in a substrate, the degree of integration of a singlegate EEPROM is limited.

Accordingly, there is a need for a nonvolatile memory device capable ofbeing fabricated in conformity with a logic process similar to a singlegate EEPROM without increasing the degree of integration.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments are directed to a nonvolatile memory device whichuses few processing steps, and a method for fabricating the same.

Also, various embodiments are directed to a nonvolatile memory devicewhich can improve the degree of integration, and a method forfabricating the same.

In an embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device includes a floating gateformed over a substrate; a contact plug formed on a first side of thefloating gate and disposed parallel to the floating gate with a gapdefined therebetween; and a spacer formed on a sidewall of the floatinggate and filling the gap, and the contact plug and the floating gate mayhave a sufficiently large overlapping area to enable the contact plug tooperate as a control gate for the floating gate.

In an embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device includes a floating gateformed over a substrate; a spacer formed on a sidewall of the floatinggate; a first contact plug formed on a first side of the floating gateand contacting the spacer, the first contact plug being spaced apartfrom the floating gate by a first distance; and a second contact plugformed on a second side of the floating gate opposite to the first side,the second contact plug being spaced apart from the floating gate by asecond distance, and the first distance may be less than the seconddistance, and the first contact plug and the floating gate may have asufficiently large overlapping area and the first distance issufficiently small to enable the first contact plug to operate as acontrol gate for the floating gate.

In an embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device includes a select gateformed over a substrate; a floating gate formed over the substrate andadjoining the select gate; a spacer formed on sidewalls of the floatinggate and the select gate; and a contact plug contacting a portion of thespacer adjacent to the floating gate.

In an embodiment, a method for fabricating a nonvolatile memory deviceincludes forming a floating gate over a substrate; forming a spacer on asidewall of the floating gate; forming an interlayer dielectric layerover an upper surface of the substrate; and forming a first contact plugand a second contact plug on first and second sides of the floating gatethrough the interlayer dielectric layer, and the first contact plug isformed to contact the spacer. The first contact plug is formed to have asidewall which faces a sidewall of the floating gate. The first contactplug and the second contact plug are formed to have different shapes.The first contact plug is a bar type, and the second contact plug is ahole type. A distance between the floating gate and the second contactplug is larger than a distance between the floating gate and the firstcontact plug. A first facing area through which sidewalls of thefloating gate and the first contact plug face each other is defined tobe larger than a second facing area through which sidewalls of thefloating gate and the second contact plug face each other.

In an embodiment, a method for fabricating a nonvolatile memory deviceincludes forming a gate conductive layer over a substrate which has alogic region and a memory region; selectively etching the gateconductive layer and forming a gate in the logic region and a floatinggate in the memory region; forming spacers on sidewalls of the gate andthe floating gate; forming an interlayer dielectric layer over an uppersurface of the substrate; and forming a first contact plug and a secondcontact plug which pass through the interlayer dielectric layer on firstand second sides of the floating gate, and the first contact plug isformed to contact the spacer. The first contact plug is formed to have asidewall which faces a sidewall of the floating gate. The first contactplug and the second contact plug are formed to have different shapes.The first contact plug is a bar type, and the second contact plug is ahole type. A distance between the floating gate and the second contactplug is larger than a distance between the floating gate and the firstcontact plug. A first facing area through which sidewalls of thefloating gate and the first contact plug face each other is larger thana second facing area through which sidewalls of the floating gate andthe second contact plug face each other.

In an embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device includes a substratehaving a plurality of active regions; floating gates formed over therespective active regions; spacers formed on sidewalls of the floatinggates; first contact plugs formed on first sides of the floating gatesand contacting the spacers; second contact plugs formed on secondopposing sides of the floating gates; first conductive lines eachcontacting a plurality of first contact plugs which are arranged in afirst direction; and second conductive lines each contacting a pluralityof second contact plugs which are arranged in a second directioncrossing the first conductive lines. The nonvolatile memory devicefurther includes a first interlayer dielectric layer formed over anupper surface of the substrate; and a second interlayer dielectric layerformed over the first interlayer dielectric layer, and the first contactplugs contact the first conductive lines over the second interlayerdielectric layer by passing through the first and second interlayerdielectric layers, and the second contact plugs contact the secondconductive lines over the first interlayer dielectric layer by passingthrough the first interlayer dielectric layer. The first contact plugshave sidewalls which face sidewalls of the floating gates. The firstcontact plugs and the second contact plugs have different shapes. Thefirst contact plugs are bar types, and the second contact plugs are holetypes. A distance between the floating gates and the second contactplugs is larger than a distance between the floating gates and the firstcontact plugs. A first facing area through which sidewalls of thefloating gates and the first contact plugs face each other is largerthan a second facing area through which sidewalls of the floating gatesand the second contact plugs face each other. The floating gates arecoupled in response to a voltage applied to the first contact plugs. Acoupling ratio between the floating gates and the first contact plugsincreases as the distance between the first contact plugs and thefloating gates decreases.

In an embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device includes a substratehaving a plurality of active regions; floating gates formed over therespective active regions; contact plugs formed on first sides of thefloating gates and disposed parallel to the floating gates with gapsdefined therebetween; spacers formed on sidewalls of the floating gatesand filling the gaps; first conductive lines each contacting a pluralityof contact plugs which are arranged in a first direction; and secondconductive lines each connecting a plurality of active regions which arearranged in a second direction crossing the first conducive lines. Thenonvolatile memory device further includes an interlayer dielectriclayer formed over an upper surface of the substrate; and the contactplugs are coupled to the first conductive lines over the interlayerdielectric layer by passing through the interlayer dielectric layer. Thenonvolatile memory device further includes junction regions formed inthe active regions on the first and sides of the floating gates andsecond opposing sides of the floating gates, and the second conductivelines comprise connection parts which connect junction regions which areformed on the second sides of the floating gates. The connection partscomprise impurity regions which are formed in the substrate. The contactplugs have sidewalls which face sidewalls of the floating gates. Thefloating gates are coupled in response to a voltage applied to thecontact plugs. A coupling ratio between the floating gates and thecontact plugs increases as a width of the gaps decreases.

In an embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device includes a select gateformed over a substrate; a floating gate formed over the substrate andadjoining the select gate; a spacer formed on sidewalls of the floatinggate and the select gate and filling a gap between the select gate andthe floating gate; and a contact plug contacting a portion of the spaceradjacent to the floating gate. The contact plug has a sidewall whichfaces a sidewall of the floating gate. The floating gate has a sidewallwhich faces a sidewall of the select gate. The floating gate is coupledin response to a first voltage applied to the contact plug, and thefloating gate is also coupled in response to a second voltage applied tothe select gate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are views illustrating a unit cell of a nonvolatilememory device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are plan views illustrating variations of a unit cell ofthe nonvolatile memory device in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 3A to 3E are cross-sectional views illustrating a method forfabricating a unit cell of a nonvolatile memory device in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are views illustrating operations of a unit cell of anonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views illustrating a cell array of a nonvolatilememory device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views illustrating a cell array of a nonvolatilememory device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a cell array of a nonvolatilememory device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are views illustrating a unit cell of a nonvolatilememory device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are views illustrating a unit cell of a nonvolatilememory device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a memory system including anonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described below in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may,however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed aslimited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodimentsare provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled inthe art. Throughout the disclosure, like reference numerals refer tolike parts throughout the various figures and embodiments of the presentinvention.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale and in some instances,proportions may have been exaggerated in order to clearly illustratefeatures of the embodiments. When a first layer is referred to as being“on” a second layer or “on” a substrate, it not only refers to a casewhere the first layer is formed directly on the second layer or thesubstrate but also a case where a third layer exists between the firstlayer and the second layer or the substrate.

Embodiments of the present invention which will be described belowprovide a nonvolatile memory device which is applicable to an embeddedmemory, and a method for fabricating the same. In particular,embodiments of the present invention provide a nonvolatile memory devicewhich is applicable to an embedded memory in a system-on-chip (SoC)which includes an analog device, and a method for fabricating the same.To this end, embodiments of the present invention provide nonvolatilememory devices which may be fabricated using the same number of processsteps as a single gate EEPROM while achieving a higher degree ofintegration, and a method for fabricating the same.

For reference, in a conventional single gate EEPROM, because an impurityregion such as a well which is formed in a substrate is used to couple afloating gate, a fabrication process requires relatively few processsteps. However, in the single gate EEPROM, limitations exist inincreasing the degree of integration. In a stack gate EEPROM in which afloating gate and a control gate are vertically stacked, a dual gateEEPROM in which a control gate and a floating gate are disposed side byside, and a split gate EEPROM in which a control gate covers one side ofa floating gate, since a control gate for coupling a floating gate isprovided, the degree of integration may be increased. However, since thefloating gate and the control gate cannot be simultaneously formed,separate additional processes are needed to form the control gates.

In consideration of the limitations of conventional devices, embodimentsof the present invention which will be described below provide anonvolatile memory device which has a floating gate and a contact plugserving as a control gate for coupling the floating gate, therebyincreasing the degree of integration without needing separate additionalprocesses for forming a control gate, and a method for fabricating thesame.

Meanwhile, in the following descriptions, a first conductivity type anda second conductivity type refer to complementary conductivity types.Namely, if the first conductivity type is a P type, the secondconductivity type is an N type, and, if the first conductivity type isan N type, the second conductivity type is a P type. Thus, a nonvolatilememory device in accordance with embodiments of the present inventionmay be an N-channel type or a P-channel type. Hereinafter, for the sakeof convenience in explanation, the first conductivity type will bedescribed as a P type and the second conductivity type will be describedas an N type. That is to say, descriptions will be made below based onembodiments which are N-channel type nonvolatile memory devices.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are views illustrating a unit cell (or memory cell) of anonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. In detail, FIG. 1A is a plan view, and FIG. 1B is across-sectional view taken along the lines A-A′ of FIG. 1A.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a first conductivity type well 102 isformed in a substrate 101. The substrate 101 may be a semiconductorsubstrate. The semiconductor substrate may be in a single crystallinestate, and may include silicon. That is to say, the semiconductorsubstrate may include monocrystalline silicon. For instance, thesubstrate 101 may be a bulk silicon substrate, or a silicon-on-insulator(SOI) substrate in which a supporting substrate, a buried dielectriclayer and a monocrystalline silicon layer are sequentially stacked. Thewell 102 provides a base on which a unit cell may operate, and may beformed by ion-implanting impurities of the first conductivity type intothe substrate 101.

An isolation structure 113 is formed in the substrate 101 in such a wayas to define an active region 112. The isolation structure 113 may beformed through a shallow trench isolation (STI) process, and may includea dielectric layer. The active region 112 which is defined by theisolation structure 113 may be a bar type or a line type which has amajor axis extending in a first direction and a minor axis extending ina second direction crossing with (or perpendicular to) the firstdirection. Junction regions are formed in both end portions of theactive region 112 in the first direction. In order to facilitate contactbetween the junction regions and contact plugs (or conductive lines),the active region 112 may include projections (not shown) which projectin the second direction.

A floating gate (FG) 104 is formed on the substrate 101. The floatinggate 104 performs a function of storing logic information and may be abar type. In detail, in the first direction, the floating gate 104 mayhave a structure which is positioned at the middle portion of the activeregion 112 which has outer edges overlapping with the active region 112.In the second direction, the floating gate 104 may have a structurewhich covers the active region 112 and of which both ends overlap withthe isolation structure 113. In other words, the length of the floatinggate 104 in the second direction may be the same or larger than thewidth of the active region 112 in the second direction.

The floating gate 104 may include silicon. In an embodiment, thefloating gate 104 may be a polysilicon layer. The polysilicon layer maybe a doped polysilicon layer doped with impurities or an undopedpolysilicon layer not doped with impurities. While the floating gate 104in the embodiment of FIG. 1B is a planar gate, in another embodiment thefloating gate 104 may have a three-dimensional gate structure, such as afin gate structure.

A gate dielectric layer 103 is formed between the substrate 101 and thefloating gate 104, and a spacer 105 is formed on the sidewalls of thefloating gate 104. Each of the gate dielectric layer 103 and the spacer105 may include a dielectric layer. For example, each of the gatedielectric layer 103 and the spacer 105 may include an oxide layer, anitride layer, an oxynitride layer, or a stack layer thereof.

A first junction region 109 and a second junction region 110 are formedin the substrate 101 on both sides of the floating gate 104. In detail,the first junction region 109 and the second junction region 110 areformed in the active region 112 on opposing sides of the floating gate104. The first junction region 109 and the second junction region 110may be impurity regions which are formed by ion-implanting impurities ofthe second conductivity type into the substrate 101. The first junctionregion 109 and the second junction region 110 may respectively serve asa drain region and a source region, and may have lightly doped drain(LDD) structures. In detail, the first junction region 109 includes afirst impurity region 109A of the second conductivity type and a secondimpurity region 109B of the second conductivity type. Similarly, thesecond junction region 110 includes a first impurity region 110A of thesecond conductivity type and a second impurity region 11B of the secondconductivity type. In an embodiment, the impurity doping concentrationsof the second impurity regions 109B and 1108 are larger than theimpurity doping concentrations of the first impurity regions 109A and110A.

An interlayer dielectric layer 111 is disposed on the surface of thesubstrate 101 covering the floating gate 104, and a first contact plug107 and a second contact plug 108 which are respectively connected tothe first junction region 109 and the second junction region 110penetrate the interlayer dielectric layer 111. The interlayer dielectriclayer 111 may include an oxide layer, a nitride layer, or an oxynitridelayer.

The first contact plug 107 electrically connects a conductive line (notshown) on the interlayer dielectric layer 111 with the first junctionregion 109, and performs the function of a control gate which couplesthe floating gate 104 in a program operation, an erase operation and aread operation. The floating gate 104 may be coupled in response to abias (for example, a voltage) which is applied to the first contact plug107. To this end, the first contact plug 107 may be disposed paralleland adjacent to the floating gate 104 with a gap 106 definedtherebetween, and may contact the spacer 105 formed on the sidewalls ofthe floating gate 104 and in the gap 106. In an embodiment, the parallelsidewalls of floating gate 104 and first contact plug 107 may run alongthe long axis of each structure in order to maximize the facing area.

In other words, the first contact plug 107 may have a shape which has asidewall facing at least one sidewall of the floating gate 104, and thespacer 105 between the floating gate 104 and the first contact plug 107,that is, the spacer 105 formed in the gap 106 serves as a dielectriclayer (for example, an Inter-Poly Dielectric (IPD)). In an embodiment,the dielectric layer is a dielectric material which is inserted betweenthe floating gate 104 and a control gate. While a dielectric layer isformed through a separate process in the conventional art, the spacer105 formed on the sidewalls of the floating gate 104 is used as thedielectric layer in the embodiment of the present invention.

In an embodiment, in order to secure a sufficiently large coupling ratioto program the floating gate 104, the first contact plug 107 may be abar type which has a sidewall corresponding to an entire sidewall of abar type floating gate 104. As the area of the sidewalls of the floatinggate 104 and the first contact plug 107 which face each other isincreased within a range allowable by a design margin, the couplingratio therebetween may be increased. In an embodiment, the first contactplug 107 has sidewalls facing at least two sidewalls of the floatinggate 104. In an embodiment, the first contact plug 107 has sidewallsfacing at least three sidewalls of the floating gate 104.

The gap 106 is defined between the sidewalls of the first contact plug107 facing that of the floating gate 104, and the width of the gap 106may be constant in the first direction along the second direction. Thatis to say, the gap 106 maintains a constant width between the floatinggate 104 and the first contact plug 107. The width of the gap 106 may bethe same or smaller than the width of the spacer 105. In detail, in anembodiment in which the width of the gap 106 is the same as the width ofthe spacer 105, the first contact plug 107 may have a shape whichcontacts the sidewall of the spacer 105, and, in an embodiment in whichthe width of the gap 106 is smaller than the width of the spacer 105,the first contact plug 107 may have a shape which partially covers thespacer 105.

Meanwhile, in an embodiment where a corresponding area between thefloating gate 104 and the first contact plug 107, that is, a facing area(or an overlapping area) of the floating gate 104 and the first contactplug 107, is large so a relatively high coupling ratio is secured, thewidth of the gap 106 may be larger than the width of the spacer 105. Inother words, the coupling ratio is a function of both the amount ofoverlapping area and the width of the gap, so an embodiment with a largeoverlapping area can use a wider gap, while an embodiment with a narrowgap can use a smaller facing area, to secure the same coupling ratio.Embodiments of the present invention may vary according to theseprinciples.

The second contact plug 108 connects a conductive line (not shown) withthe second junction region 110, and a bias (for example, a voltage)applied to the second contact plug 108 does not exert any influence onthe floating gate 104. In other words, the floating gate 104 is notcoupled in response to bias of the second contact plug 108. To this end,an area of the sidewall of the second contact plug 108 which faces thesidewall of the floating gate 104 may be smaller than the overlappingarea of sidewalls of the first contact plug 107 and the floating gate104. For instance, the second contact plug 108 may be a hole type.Further, the gap between the second contact plug 108 and the floatinggate 104 may be larger than the gap between the floating gate 104 andthe first contact plug 107. For instance, the second contact plug 108may not contact the spacer 105 and may be separated from the spacer 105by a predetermined distance.

Since the nonvolatile memory device with the above-described structurehas the floating gate 104 and the first contact plug 107 serving as acontrol gate for coupling the floating gate 104, the degree ofintegration and operation characteristics of the nonvolatile memorydevice may be improved compared to a single gate EEPROM.

Also, in a nonvolatile memory device with the above-described structure,because the coupling ratio between the floating gate 104 and the firstcontact plug 107 increases as the width of the gap 106 between thefloating gate 104 and the first contact plug 107 decreases, the designrule may be decreased and the degree of integration and operationcharacteristics of the nonvolatile memory device may be further improvedas the degree of integration of the nonvolatile memory device increases.That is to say, as the design rule of a logic process for fabricatingthe nonvolatile memory device decreases, the coupling ratio increases asthe gap between the floating gate 104 and the first contact plug 107decreases, and the degree of integration and operation characteristicsof a nonvolatile memory device may be further improved.

In addition, in a nonvolatile memory device with the above-describedstructure, because the first contact plug 107 is used as a control gateand the spacer 105 between the first contact plug 107 and the floatinggate 104 serves as a dielectric layer, it is possible to fabricate anonvolatile memory device which does not require separate processes forforming a control gate. This will be described later in detail inconjunction with a method for fabricating a nonvolatile memory device inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are plan views illustrating nonvolatile memory devicesin accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Forillustrative convenience, the same reference numerals as those of FIGS.1A and 1B will be used in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Since cross-sectional viewstaken along the line A-A′ of FIGS. 2A and 2B show features similar tothe cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 1A, referencewill be made to FIG. 1B.

Referring to FIG. 2A, in order to increase the coupling ratio betweenthe floating gate 104 and the first contact plug 107, the first contactplug 107 may have a shape which has sidewalls facing (or overlapping)all the sidewalls of the floating gate 104 except for the sidewall ofthe floating gate 104 facing the second contact plug 108. In detail, thefloating gate 104 may be a bar type, and the first contact plug 107 mayhave a shape which has sidewalls facing one sidewall of the floatinggate 104 in the first direction and facing two sidewalls of the floatinggate 104 in the second direction. The width of the gap 106 may beconstant in the first direction and in the second direction.

Alternatively, the first contact plug 107 may have a shape which hassidewalls facing one sidewall of the floating gate 104 in the firstdirection and facing only one sidewall of the floating gate 104 in thesecond direction. In other words, an embodiment may include one set offacing sidewalls in the first direction, and at least one set of facingsidewalls in the second direction.

Referring to FIG. 2B, in order to further increase the coupling ratiobetween the floating gate 104 and the first contact plug 107, thefloating gate 104 may have a shape in which opposing end portionsproject, and the first contact plug 107 may have a shape which hassidewalls facing all the respective remaining sidewalls, includingprojected sidewalls of the floating gate 104, but not the sidewall ofthe floating gate 104 facing the second contact plug 108. In otherwords, in an embodiment, the floating gate 104 may include at least oneprojected portion which projects from the sidewall facing second contactplug 108 in the direction of contact plug 108. In an embodiment whichincludes two projecting portions, the floating gate may have a “C”shape, or a “[” shape, with an opening facing the second contact plug108. Accordingly, the first contact plug 107 may have a “C” shape, or a“[” shape having an opening facing the second contact plug 108 in anembodiment. The size of the opening may vary according toimplementation.

In an embodiment, the floating gate 104 may have a shape in which onlyone of the end portions projects, and the first contact plug 107 mayhave a shape which has sidewalls facing all the respective sidewallsincluding the projected sidewall of the floating gate 104, but not thesidewall of the floating gate 104 facing the second contact plug 108.

As described above, by adjusting the shapes of the floating gate 104 andthe first contact plug 107, the coupling ratio between the floating gate104 and the first contact plug 107 may be increased, and as a result,the degree of integration and the operation characteristics of thenonvolatile memory device may be improved.

A method for forming a nonvolatile memory device according to anembodiment is described below with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3E.

FIGS. 3A to 3E are cross-sectional views illustrating a method forfabricating a unit cell of a nonvolatile memory device in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. In these drawings, thecross-sectional views correspond to line A-A′ of FIG. 1A.

Referring to FIG. 3A, a substrate 11 having a logic region and a memoryregion is provided. The logic region may include an NMOS region and aPMOS region. The substrate 11 may be a semiconductor substrate. Thesemiconductor substrate may be in a single crystalline state, and mayinclude silicon. In other words, the semiconductor substrate may includemonocrystalline silicon. For example, a bulk silicon substrate or asilicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate may be used as the substrate 11.

A first well 13, a second well 14 and a third well 15 are formed in thesubstrate 11 corresponding to the NMOS region, the PMOS region, and thememory region, respectively. The first well 13 may be formed byion-implanting impurities of the first conductivity type (in anembodiment, P type impurities) into the substrate 11, and the secondwell 14 may be formed by ion-implanting impurities of the secondconductivity type (in an embodiment, N type impurities) into thesubstrate 11. The third well 15 corresponding to the memory region mayhave a conductivity type according to a channel type of a unit cell. Forinstance, in an embodiment in which the unit cell is an N-channel type,the third well 15 may be formed by ion-implanting impurities of thefirst conductivity type (that is, P type impurities) into the substrate11. The first well 13, the second well 14 and the third well 15 maycontact each other, and since their respective conductivity types aredifferent from each other, junction isolation regions are formed betweenthem.

An isolation structure 12 is formed in the substrate 11, therebydefining active regions in the respective regions. The depth of theisolation structure 12 may be less than the depth of each of the firstwell 13, the second well 14, and the third well 15. The isolationstructure 12 may be formed through a shallow trench isolation (STI)process. The STI process encompasses a series of processes used to formthe isolation structure 12 by defining trenches for isolation in thesubstrate 11 and filling a dielectric substance in the trenches.Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the first well 13, the second well 14,and the third well 15 may be formed after forming the isolationstructure 12.

Referring to FIG. 3B, a gate dielectric layer 16 may be formed over theentire surface of the substrate 11. The gate dielectric layer 16 may beformed as an oxide layer, a nitride layer, an oxynitride layer, or astack layer thereof. In another embodiment, the gate dielectric layer 16may be formed only on portions of the substrate 11 on which theisolation structure 12 is not formed.

A gate conductive layer 17 is formed on the gate dielectric layer 16.The gate conductive layer 17 may include silicon. For instance, the gateconductive layer 17 may be formed as a polysilicon layer.

Impurities are ion-implanted into portions of the gate conductive layer17 which correspond to the NMOS region, the PMOS region, and the memoryregion, respectively. This is to provide characteristics (for example,work functions) of the gate conductive layer 17 which are particular tothe respective regions. For example, impurities of the firstconductivity type may be ion-implanted into a portion of the gateconductive layer 17 corresponding to the PMOS region, and impurities ofthe second conductivity type may be ion-implanted into the gateconductive layer 17 corresponding to the NMOS region. Impurities may notbe ion-implanted into a portion of the gate conductive layer 17corresponding to the memory region, or predetermined impurities may beion-implanted according to a channel type of the memory. For instance,impurities of the second conductivity type may be ion-implanted into aportion of the gate conductive layer 17 corresponding to the memoryregion.

Referring to FIG. 3C, after forming mask patterns (not shown) on thegate conductive layer 17, a plurality of gates NG, PG and FG are formedby sequentially etching the gate conductive layer 17 and the gatedielectric layer 16 using the mask patterns as an etch barrier. Indetail, a first gate NG and a second gate PG are respectively formed inthe NMOS region and the PMOS region, and a floating gate FG is formed inthe memory region. All of the first gate NG, the second gate PG, and thefloating gate FG are simultaneously formed through the same etchingprocess in an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3D, by ion-implanting impurities of the firstconductivity type into portions of the substrate 11 on both sides of thesecond gate PG, first impurity regions 19 are formed. Then, byion-implanting impurities of the second conductivity type into portionsof the substrate 11 on both sides of the first gate NG and the floatinggate FG, second impurity regions 18A, 18B and 18C of the secondconductivity type are formed.

Spacers 20 are formed on the sidewalls of the first gate NG, the secondgate PG and the floating gate FG. The spacers 20 may be formed as adielectric layer. The dielectric layer may be an oxide layer, a nitridelayer, an oxynitride layer, or a stack layer thereof. The spacers 20 maybe formed through a series of processes including depositing adielectric layer on the surface of the structure including the firstgate NG, the second gate PG and the floating gate FG and then performingblanket etching, for example, an etch-back process.

By ion-implanting impurities of the first conductivity type into thesubstrate 11 on both sides of the second gate PG including the spacers20, third impurity regions 21 are formed. Fourth impurity regions 22A,22B and 22C are formed in the substrate 11 on both sides of the firstgate NG including the spacers 20 and in the substrate 11 on both sidesof the floating gate FG including the spacers 20. The third impurityregions 21 may be formed to have an impurity doping concentration largerthan the first impurity regions 19, and the fourth impurity regions 22A,22B and 22C may be formed to have impurity doping concentrations largerthan the concentrations of second impurity regions 18A, 18B and 18C.

Through the above-described processes, source/drain regions 24 of thesecond conductivity type with LDD structures which include the secondimpurity region 18A and the fourth impurity region 22A may be formed inthe NMOS region. Source/drain regions 23 of the first conductivity typewith LDD structures which include the first impurity region 19 and thethird impurity region 21 may be formed in the PMOS region. A firstjunction region 25 and a second junction region 26 with LDD structureswhich include the second impurity regions 18B and 18C and the fourthimpurity regions 22B and 22C may be formed in the memory region.

While not shown in a drawing, a metal silicide (not shown) may be formedon the upper surfaces of the plurality of gates NG, PG and FG, thesurfaces of the source/drain regions 24 of the NMOS region, the surfacesof the source/drain regions 23 of the PMOS region, and the surfaces ofthe first junction region 25 and the second junction region 26 of thememory region. The metal silicide performs the function of reducingresistance and improving signal transfer characteristics. The metalsilicide may be formed through a series of processes of forming a metallayer on the entire surface of the structure including the plurality ofgates NG, PG and FG, perform annealing to form the metal silicide andremoving remaining portions of the metal layer after the anneal.

Referring to FIG. 3E, an interlayer dielectric layer 27 is formed on theentire surface of the substrate 11 to cover the first gate NG, thesecond gate PG and the floating gate FG. The interlayer dielectric layer27 may be formed of an oxide layer, a nitride layer, or an oxynitridelayer.

A plurality of contact plugs 28, 29, 30 and 31 are formed through theinterlayer dielectric layer 27 to respectively contact the firstjunction region 25 and the second junction region 26 of the memoryregion, the source/drain regions 24 of the NMOS region, and thesource/drain regions 23 of the PMOS region. In detail, a first contactplug 28 contacting the first junction region 25 of the memory region, asecond contact plug 29 contacting the second junction region 26 of thememory region, third contact plugs 30 contacting the source/drainregions 24 of the NMOS region, and fourth contact plugs 31 contactingthe source/drain regions 23 of the PMOS region may be simultaneouslyformed. The first contact plug 28 to the fourth contact plugs 31 may besimultaneously formed through a series of processes of defining contactholes by selectively etching the interlayer dielectric layer 27 andfilling a conductive substance in the contact holes. In anotherembodiment, the first contact plug 28 to the fourth contact plugs 31 maybe formed independently of one another.

The first contact plug 28 to the fourth contact plugs 31 are connectedwith conductive lines which are formed on the interlayer dielectriclayer 27 and perform the functions of transferring electric signals. Thefirst contact plug 28 not only performs the function of transferring anelectric signal, but also serves as a control gate for coupling thefloating gate FG. Meanwhile, since the shapes and layout of the floatinggate FG, the first junction region 25, the second junction region 26,the first contact plug 28 and the second contact plug 29 in the memoryregion were described above in detail with reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2Aand 2B, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

While not shown in a drawing, conductive lines may be formed on theinterlayer dielectric layer 27 in such a way as to selectively contactthe plurality of contact plugs 28, 29, 30 and 31.

As can be seen from the above descriptions, in a method for fabricatingthe nonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention, it is possible to fabricate a nonvolatile memorydevice which has a floating gate FG and a first contact plug 28 servingas the control gate, without a separate additional processes for forminga control gate.

Moreover, in a method for fabricating the nonvolatile memory device inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention, since the firstcontact plug 28 is used as the control gate for the floating gate FG andthe spacer 20 is used as the dielectric layer, processes may besimplified in comparison with a conventional EEPROM and the number ofprocess steps may be decreased, so that productivity and yield may beincreased.

Hereinbelow, operation methods of a unit cell of a nonvolatile memorydevice in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to Table 1 and FIGS. 4A to 4C. For the sake ofconvenience in explanation, the same reference numerals as those of FIG.1B will be used in FIGS. 4A to 4C.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are views illustrating operations of a unit cell (or amemory cell) of the nonvolatile memory device in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. In detail, FIG. 4A is across-sectional view illustrating a program operation, FIG. 4B is across-sectional view illustrating an erase operation, and FIG. 4C is across-sectional view illustrating a read operation. Table 1 showsoperating conditions of the unit cell of a nonvolatile memory device inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

TABLE 1 Sub- First Second strate contact contact (or Coupling OperationScheme plug plug well) gate Program HCI VPP GND GND Coupling Erase Pro-Occur- GND VPP GND Non- grammed rence coupling Cell of BTBT Non- Non-GND VPP GND Non- pro- occur- coupling grammed rence Cell of BTBT Read —VREAD GND GND Coupling (~1 V)

A program operation of a unit cell of the nonvolatile memory device inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be describedbelow with reference to Table 1 and FIG. 4A.

A program operation may use hot carrier injection (HCI). In detail, as aprogram voltage and a ground voltage GND are respectively applied to thefirst contact plug 107 and the second contact plug 108, charges (forexample, electrons) are injected into the floating gate 104. Theelectrons injected into the floating gate 104 increase the thresholdvoltage of the memory cell with the floating gate 104. The programvoltage may be a positive voltage. For instance, the program voltage maybe a pumping voltage VPP. The pumping voltage VPP is a voltage which isgenerated by boosting a power supply voltage VCC supplied from anexternal source.

Describing the program operation in detail, a channel is formed in aportion of the active region 112, underlying the floating gate 104 towhich the first contact plug 107 is capacitively coupled. The firstcontact plug 107 receives the pumping voltage VPP, and a pinch-offoccurs in the channel underlying the floating gate 104. Hot electronswhich are generated or flowing in a region where the pinch-off occursare injected into the floating gate 104. As the hot electrons areinjected into the floating gate 104, the threshold voltage of the memorycell with the floating gate 104 is increased, thereby programming thememory cell. This program operation provides an advantage in thatprogram may be easily performed even though the coupling ratio betweenthe floating gate 104 and the first contact plug 107 is small, whencompared to Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunneling.

An erase operation of the unit cell of the nonvolatile memory device inaccordance with the embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed below with reference to Table 1 and FIG. 4B.

An erase operation may use band to band tunneling (BTBT). In detail, asthe ground voltage GND and an erase voltage are respectively applied tothe first contact plug 107 and the second contact plug 108, charges (forexample, holes) are injected into the floating gate 104. Electrons areejected from the floating gate 104 and injected into a conductive region(e.g., the second conductive region 110), and thus, the unit cell may beerased in such a way as to decrease the threshold voltage of the memorycell with the floating gate 104. The erase voltage may be a positivevoltage. For instance, the erase voltage may be the pumping voltage VPP.

Describing the erase operation in detail, the erase operation may bedivided into an erase operation of a programmed cell and an eraseoperation of a non-programmed cell.

In the erase operation in the programmed cell, the floating gate 104 isnot coupled during the erase operation by the first contact plug 107applied with the ground voltage GND. However, due to a potentialdifference between the second junction region 110 connected to thesecond contact plug 108 applied with the pumping voltage VPP and thefloating gate 104 having negative potential by electrons therein, BTBToccurs therebetween. As hot holes which are generated by the occurrenceof BTBT between the second junction region 110 and the floating gate 104are injected into the floating gate 104 and the injected hot holes arecoupled with electrons, the unit cell may be erased through a series ofbehaviors through which the threshold voltage of the floating gate 104is decreased.

As known by those skilled in art, the band-to-band tunneling occursbetween the valence band of a given conductivity (e.g., p-type region)and the conduction band of another conductivity (e.g., n-type region).The band-to-band tunneling occurs if an electron in the valence band ofthe semiconductor tunnels across the band gap to the conduction bandwithout the assistance of traps.

In an erase operation of a non-programmed cell, the floating gate 104 isnot coupled during the erase operation since the first contact plug 107is applied with the ground voltage GND. In this state, the floating gate104 of the non-programmed cell has ground (GND) potential since anamount of extra electrons in the floating gate 104 is negligible, andthus, BTBT does not occur between the floating gate 104 and the secondjunction region 110 although the second contact plug 108 is applied withthe pumping voltage VPP. Accordingly, the threshold voltage of thenon-programmed cell remains the same.

A read operation of the unit cell of the nonvolatile memory device inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be describedbelow with reference to Table 1 and FIG. 4C.

A read operation may use forward read in which read is performed throughcharge migration in the same direction as the migrating direction ofcharges in the program operation. The read operation may be performed byapplying a read voltage VREAD and the ground voltage GND to the firstcontact plug 107 and the second contact plug 108 respectively. The readvoltage VREAD may be a positive voltage that is smaller than the programvoltage Vpp. For instance, the read voltage VREAD may be a voltage (˜1V)equal to or smaller than 1V. For reference, because the forward read mayrealize a cell array with a simple structure, it provides advantages inthat it is easy to improve the degree of integration and lessen thedifficulty of processing.

In detail, the floating gate 104 is coupled by the read voltage VREADwhich is applied to the first contact plug 107, and whether or not achannel is to be formed under the floating gate 104 is determineddepending upon whether or not electrons are present in the floating gate104. The unit cell may be read in such a way as to sense this.

Below, a cell array of the nonvolatile memory device which may berealized on the basis of the above-described unit cell of thenonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention and the operation methods thereof will be described.In the following embodiments for a cell array, the same referencenumerals as those of FIGS. 1A and 1B will be used to explain unit cells,and detailed descriptions for components with the same referencenumerals will be omitted herein.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views illustrating a cell array of a nonvolatilememory device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.In detail, FIG. 5A is a plan view and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional viewtaken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 5A.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a nonvolatile memory device in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate 101including a plurality of active regions 112, floating gates 104 whichare formed on the respective active regions 112, spacers 105 which areformed on the sidewalls of the floating gates 104, first contact plugs107 which are formed on first sides of the floating gates 104 andcontact the spacers 105, second contact plugs 108 which are formed onsecond opposing sides of the floating gates 104, first conductive lines201 each of which contacts a plurality of first contact plugs 107disposed in the first direction, and second conductive lines 202 each ofwhich contacts a plurality of second contact plugs 108 disposed in thesecond direction.

A nonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention may further include first junction regions 109 whichare formed in the active regions 112 on the first sides of the floatinggates 104 and contact the first contact plugs 107, second junctionregions 110 which are formed in the active regions 112 on the secondsides of the floating gates 104 and contact the second contact plugs108, a first interlayer dielectric layer 111A which is formed over thesurface of the substrate 101, and a second interlayer dielectric layer111B which is formed on the first interlayer dielectric layer 111A. Thefirst contact plugs 107 may contact the first conductive lines 201 bypassing through the interlayer dielectric layer 111, and the secondcontact plugs 108 may contact the second conductive lines 202 passingthrough the first interlayer dielectric layer 111A.

The plurality of active regions 112 may have a matrix type layoutstructure by being separated from one another by predetermined distancesin a first direction and a second direction, and may be defined by anisolation structure 113 which is formed in the substrate 101. Each ofthe active regions 112 may be a bar type or a line type which has amajor axis extending in the first direction and a minor axis extendingin the second direction.

The first contact plugs 107 perform the function of electricallyconnecting the first conductive lines 201 on the interlayer dielectriclayer 111 with the first junction regions 109 and serve as control gatesfor coupling the floating gates 104. The floating gates 104 may becoupled in response to a bias (for example, a voltage) applied to thefirst contact plugs 107 through the first conductive lines 201. To thisend, the first contact plugs 107 may be disposed parallel and adjacentto the floating gates 104 with gaps 106 defined therebetween, and maycontact the spacers 105 formed on the sidewalls of the floating gates104. In other words, the first contact plugs 107 may have sidewallsfacing at least one sidewall of the floating gates 104, and the spacers105 between the floating gates 104 and the first contact plugs 107, thatis, the spacers 105 formed in the gaps 106, serve as a dielectric layer(for example, an IPD).

The first contact plugs 107 which pass through the interlayer dielectriclayer 111 may include first plugs 107A which pass through the firstinterlayer dielectric layer 111A and second plugs 107B which passthrough the second interlayer dielectric layer 111B. The first plugs107A may be bar types, and the second plugs 107B may be bar types orhole types.

The first conductive lines 201 which contact the first contact plugs 107may be bit lines. The first conductive lines 201 which extend in thefirst direction may be controlled in the width thereof in the seconddirection according to the type of the first contact plugs 107. Indetail, while the first conductive lines 201 have shapes which cover thesecond plugs 107B, the width of the first conductive lines 201 in thesecond direction may be larger in an embodiment in which the secondplugs 107B are bar types than in an embodiment in which the second plugs107B are hole types.

The second contact plugs 108 may have shapes different from those of thefirst contact plugs 107. For instance, the second contact plugs 108 maybe hole types. The second contact plugs 108 connect the secondconductive lines 202 with the second junction regions 110, and a bias(for example, a voltage) applied to the second contact plugs 108 throughthe second conductive lines 202 does not exert a direct influence on thefloating gates 104. Specifically, the floating gates 104 are not coupledin response to the bias applied by the second contact plugs 108. To thisend, an area through which a sidewall of the second contact plugs 108and a sidewall of the floating gates 104 face each other may be smallerthan an area through which one or more sidewall of the first contactplugs 107 and one or more sidewall of the floating gates 104 face eachother. Furthermore, a distance between the second contact plugs 108 andthe floating gates 104 may be longer than a distance between thefloating gates 104 and the first floating gates 107. In an embodiment,the first conductive plug 107 has a cross-sectional area, parallel tothe main surface area of the substrate 101 (see FIG. 5A), that is atleast 3 times greater than that of the second conductive plug 108 sothat the coupling ratio between the floating gate 104 and the firstcontact plug 107 would be high. In an embodiment, the first conductiveplug 107 has a cross-sectional area, parallel to the main surface areaof the substrate 101 (see FIG. 5A), that is at least 4, 5, 6, 7, or 10or greater than that of the second conductive plug 108 so that thecoupling ratio between the floating gate 104 and the first contact plug107 would be high. For example, the first contact plug 107 may a singlebar shape as in FIG. 5A, or two or three bar shaped connect together, ormay have “C” shape having an opening on the side facing the secondcontact plug 108.

The second conductive lines 202 which contact the second contact plugs108 may be word lines. The second conductive lines 202 may be line typepatterns which extend in the second direction. The first conductivelines 201 and the second conductive lines 202 may include one or moremetallic layer.

Since a nonvolatile memory device with the above-described structure hasa floating gate 104 and a first contact plug 107 serving as a controlgate for coupling the floating gate 104, the degree of integration andoperation characteristics of the nonvolatile memory device may beimproved when compared to a single gate EEPROM.

Moreover, in a nonvolatile memory device with the above-describedstructure, because the first contact plug 107 is used as a control gateand the spacer 105 between the first contact plug 107 and the floatinggate 104 serves as a dielectric layer, it is possible to fabricate anonvolatile memory device without separate additional processes forforming a control gate.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views illustrating a cell array of a nonvolatilememory device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.In detail, FIG. 6A is a plan view and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional viewtaken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 6A.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a nonvolatile memory device in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate 101including a plurality of active regions 112, floating gates 104 whichare formed on the respective active regions 112, contact plugs 107 whichare formed on first sides of the floating gates 104 and are disposedparallel to the floating gates 104 with gaps 106 defined therebetween,spacers 105 which are formed on the sidewalls of the floating gates 104and fill the gaps 106, first conductive lines 301 each of which contactsa plurality of contact plugs 107 disposed in the first direction, andsecond conductive lines 302 each of which connects a plurality of activeregions 112 in the second direction.

A nonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention may further include first junction regions 109 whichare formed in the active regions 112 on the first sides of the floatinggates 104 and contact the contact plugs 107, second junction regions 110which are formed in the active regions 112 on second, opposing sides ofthe floating gates 104, connection parts 302A which connect the secondjunction regions 110 adjacent to each other in the second direction, andan interlayer dielectric layer 111 which is formed on the surface of thesubstrate 101. The connection parts 302A may be impurity regions whichare formed in the substrate 101, and the contact plugs 107 may contactthe first conductive lines 301 by passing through the interlayerdielectric layer 111.

The plurality of active regions 112 may have a matrix type layoutstructure by being separated from one another by predetermined distancesin a first direction and a second direction, and may be defined by anisolation structure 113 which is formed in the substrate 101. Each ofthe active regions 112 may be a bar type or a line type which has amajor axis extending in the first direction and a minor axis extendingin the second direction.

The contact plugs 107 perform the function of electrically connectingthe first conductive lines 301 on the interlayer dielectric layer 111with the first junction regions 109 and serve as control gates forcoupling the floating gates 104. That is to say, the floating gates 104may be coupled in response to the bias (for example, a voltage) appliedto the contact plugs 107 through the first conductive lines 301. To thisend, the contact plugs 107 may be disposed parallel and adjacent to thefloating gates 104 with the gaps 106 defined therebetween, and may haveshapes which contact the spacers 105 formed on the sidewalls of thefloating gates 104. In other words, the contact plugs 107 may haveshapes which have sidewalls facing at least one sidewall of the floatinggates 104, and the spacers 105 between the floating gates 104 and thecontact plugs 107, that is, the spacers 105 formed in the gaps 106,serve as a dielectric layer (for example, an IPD).

The first conductive lines 301 which contact the contact plugs 107 maybe bit lines. The first conductive lines 301 of line types which extendin the first direction may have shapes which cover the contact plugs107. That is to say, the width of the first conductive lines 301 may belarger than the size of the contact plugs 107 in the second direction.The first conductive lines 301 may include a metallic layer.

The second conductive lines 302 may be word lines. The second conductivelines 302 may include impurity regions which are formed in the substrate101. In detail, the second conductive lines 302 may include theconnection parts 302A which connect adjacent second junction regions 110formed in the active regions 112, and may have shapes in which thesecond junction regions 110 and the connection parts 302A arealternately disposed.

Since a nonvolatile memory device with the above-described structure hasthe floating gate 104 and the contact plug 107 serving as a control gatefor coupling the floating gate 104, the degree of integration andoperation characteristics of the nonvolatile memory device may beimproved when compared to a single gate EEPROM.

Moreover, in the nonvolatile memory device with the above-describedstructure, due to the fact that the contact plug 107 is used as acontrol gate and the spacer 105 between the contact plug 107 and thefloating gate 104 serves as a dielectric layer, it is possible tofabricate the nonvolatile memory without a separate additional processfor forming a control gate.

Hereafter, a program operation, an erase operation and a read operationwill be described with reference to FIG. 7 which schematically shows anequivalent circuit diagram for the cell array shown in FIG. 5A and thecell array shown in FIG. 6A and Table 2 which shows cell array operatingconditions of the nonvolatile memory device in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

For the sake of convenience in explanation, the same reference numeralsas those of FIGS. 5A and 5B will be used in FIG. 7.

TABLE 2 IPD Classification Program Erase Read Scheme HCI BTBT — Selectedcell (A) Coupling Coupling Non- Coupling gate coupling First VPP GNDVREAD Conductive (~1 V) line Second GND VPP GND conductive lineSubstrate GND GND GND (or well) Unse- Cell (B) Coupling Coupling Non-Coupling lected sharing gate coupling Cell first First VPP GND VREADconductive Conductive (~1 V) line line Second Floating Floating Floatingconductive line Substrate GND GND GND (or well) Cell (C) Coupling Non-Non- Non- sharing gate coupling coupling coupling second First GND GNDGND conductive Conductive line line Second GND VPP GND conductive lineSubstrate GND GND GND (or well)

First, a program operation may use HCI. In detail, as a program voltageand a ground voltage GND are respectively applied to the firstconductive line 201 and the second conductive line 202 which areconnected to a selected cell A, charges (for example, electrons) areinjected into the floating gate 104, and thus, the selected cell A maybe programmed so that the threshold voltage of the memory cell A isincreased. The program voltage may be a positive voltage. For instance,the program voltage may be a pumping voltage VPP.

In an unselected cell B which shares the first conductive line 201connected to the selected cell A, although the floating gate 104 iscoupled by the program voltage, since the second conductive line 202which is connected to the unselected cell B is floated, the unselectedcell B is not programmed. Further, in an unselected cell C which sharesthe second conductive line 202 connected to the selected cell A, theground voltage GND is applied to the first conductive line 201 connectedto the unselected cell C and thus the floating gate 104 is not coupled,so the unselected cell C is not programmed.

Next, an erase operation may use BTBT. In detail, as the ground GND andan erase voltage are respectively applied to the first conductive line201 and the second conductive line 202 which are connected to theselected cell A, charges (for example, holes) are injected into thefloating gate 104, and thus, the selected cell A may be erased so thatthe threshold voltage of the selected cell A is decreased. The erasevoltage may be a positive voltage. For instance, the erase voltage maybe the pumping voltage VPP.

In the unselected cell B which shares the first conductive line 201connected to the selected cell A, since the floating gate 104 is notcoupled by the ground voltage GND applied to the first conductive line201 and the second conductive line 202 which is connected to theunselected cell B is floated, the unselected cell B is not erased. In anembodiment, the unselected cell C which shares the second conductiveline 202 connected to the selected cell A may be erased in the samemanner as the selected cell A. In this regard, a plurality of unit cellswhich share the second conductive line 202 may be collectively erased inthe same erase operation.

A read operation may use forward read in which read is performed throughcharge migration in the same direction as the migrating direction ofcharges in the program operation. In detail, as a read voltage VREAD andthe ground voltage GND are respectively applied to the first conductiveline 201 and the second conductive line 202 which are connected to theselected cell A, the selected cell A may be read in such a way as tosense whether a channel is formed under the floating gate 104 (or thememory cell is turned ON). The read voltage VREAD may be a positivevoltage. For instance, the read voltage VREAD may be a voltage (˜1V)equal to or smaller than 1V.

In the unselected cell B which shares the first conductive line 201connected to the selected cell A, although the floating gate 104 iscoupled by the read voltage VREAD, since the second conductive line 202which is connected to the unselected cell B is floated, the unselectedcell B is read. Further, in the unselected cell C which shares thesecond conductive line 202 connected to the selected cell A, since theground voltage GND is applied to the first conductive line 201 connectedto the unselected cell C, the floating gate 104 is not coupled, and theunselected cell C is not read.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are views illustrating a variation of the unit cell ofthe nonvolatile memory device in accordance with the embodiment of thepresent invention. In detail, FIG. 8A is a plan view, and FIG. 8B is across-sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 8A.

Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, a variation of the unit cell of thenonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention includes a select gate 306 which is formed on asubstrate 301, a floating gate 305 which neighbors the select gate 306formed on the substrate 301, spacers 307 which are formed on thesidewalls of the floating gate 305 and the select gate 306, and a firstcontact plug 312 which contacts the spacer 307 adjacent to the floatinggate 305.

An isolation structure 303 which defines a well 302 of the firstconductivity type and an active region 304 is formed in the substrate301. The substrate 301 may be a bulk silicon substrate or asilicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The isolation structure 303 may beformed through a shallow trench isolation (STI) process, and may includea dielectric layer. The active region 304 which is defined by theisolation structure 303 may be a bar type or a line type which has amajor axis extending in a first direction and a minor axis extending ina second direction crossing with (or perpendicular to) the firstdirection.

The select gate 306 performs the function of preventing over-erase, andthe floating gate 305 performs the function of storing information. Theselect gate 306 and the floating gate 305 may be simultaneously formed.The select gate 306 and the floating gate 305 may be bar types. Theselect gate 306 and the floating gate 305 may include asilicon-containing substance. In detail, the select gate 306 and thefloating gate 305 may be a polysilicon layer. The polysilicon layer mayinclude a doped polysilicon layer doped with impurities or an undopedpolysilicon layer not doped with impurities. Although the select gate306 and the floating gate 305 are planar gates in the embodiment shownin FIGS. 8A and 8B, in another embodiment, the select gate 306 and thefloating gate 305 may have three-dimensional gate structures, forexample, fin gate structures.

The spacers 307 which are formed on the sidewalls of the select gate 306and the floating gate 305 may include a dielectric layer, which may besimilar to gate dielectric layer 314. In detail, the gate dielectriclayer 314 and the spacers 307 may include an oxide layer, a nitridelayer, an oxynitride layer, or a stack layer thereof.

A first junction region 308 is formed in the substrate 301 on a firstside of the floating gate 305, a second junction region 309 is formed ona second opposing side of the select gate 306, and a third junctionregion 310 is formed between the floating gate 305 and the select gate306. The first junction region 308 to the third junction region 310 maybe impurity regions which are formed by ion-implanting impurities of thesecond conductivity type into the substrate 301, and may have LDDstructures. In detail, the first junction region 308 to the thirdjunction region 310 include first impurity regions 308A, 309A and 310Aof the second conductivity type and second impurity regions 308B, 309Band 310B of the second conductivity type. The impurity dopingconcentration of the second impurity regions 308B, 309B and 310B may belarger than the impurity doping concentration of the first impurityregions 308A, 309A and 310A.

An interlayer dielectric layer 311 is formed on the entire surface ofthe substrate 301, and a first contact plug 312 and a second contactplug 313 may be connected to the first junction region 308 and thesecond junction region 309, respectively by passing through theinterlayer dielectric layer 311. The first contact plug 312 may be a bartype, and the second contact plug 313 may be a hole type.

The first contact plug 312 serves as a control gate for coupling thefloating gate 305. In other words, the floating gate 305 may be coupledin response to the bias (for example, a voltage) applied by the firstcontact plug 312. To this end, the first contact plug 312 may bedisposed parallel and adjacent to the floating gate 305 with a gap 315defined therebetween, and may have a shape which contacts the spacer 307formed on sidewalls of the floating gate 305. The first contact plug 312may have a shape which has a sidewall facing at least one sidewall ofthe floating gate 305, and the spacer 307 between the floating gate 305and the first contact plug 312, that is, the spacer 307 formed in thegap 315, serves as a dielectric layer (for example, an IPD).

Since the nonvolatile memory device with the above-described structurehas the floating gate 305 and the first contact plug 312 serving as acontrol gate for coupling the floating gate 305, the degree ofintegration and operation characteristics of the nonvolatile memorydevice may be improved when compared to a single gate EEPROM.

Also, since the nonvolatile memory device with the above-describedstructure has the select gate 306 which prevents over-erase, theoperation characteristics of the nonvolatile memory device may befurther improved.

Moreover, in a nonvolatile memory device with the above-describedstructure, because the first contact plug 312 is used as a control gateand the spacer 307 between the first contact plug 312 and the floatinggate 305 serves as a dielectric layer, it is possible to fabricate thenonvolatile memory device without a separate additional process forforming a control gate.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are views illustrating another variation of the unitcell of the nonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. In detail, FIG. 9A is a plan view, and FIG. 9Bis a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 9A.

Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B, a unit cell according to an embodiment ofthe present invention includes a select gate 406 which is formed on asubstrate 401, a floating gate 405 which is formed on the substrate 401and neighbors the select gate 406, spacers 407 which are formed onsidewalls of the floating gate 405 and the select gate 406 and fill thespace between the select gate 406 and the floating gate 406, and a firstcontact plug 412 which contacts the spacer 407 adjacent to the floatinggate 405.

An isolation structure 403 which defines a well 402 of the firstconductivity type and an active region 404 is formed in the substrate401. The substrate 401 may be a bulk silicon substrate or asilicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The isolation structure 403 may beformed through a shallow trench isolation (STI) process, and may includea dielectric layer. The active region 404 which is defined by theisolation structure 403 may be a bar type or a line type which has amajor axis extending in a first direction and a minor axis extending ina second direction crossing with (or perpendicular to) the firstdirection.

The select gate 406 prevents over-erase and serves as a control gate forcoupling the floating gate 405, and the floating gate 405 performs thefunction of storing information. Since a first portion of the spacer 407fills the space between the select gate 406 and the floating gate 405,and the first portion of the spacer 407 formed between the select gate406 and the floating gate 405 serves as a dielectric layer (for example,an IPD), so that the floating gate 405 may be coupled in response to thebias (for example, a voltage) applied to the select gate 406. Thefloating gate 405 may have a sidewall which faces at least one sidewallof the select gate 406.

The select gate 406 and the floating gate 405 may be simultaneouslyformed. The select gate 406 and the floating gate 405 may be bar types.The select gate 406 and the floating gate 405 may include asilicon-containing substance. In detail, the select gate 406 and thefloating gate 405 may be a polysilicon layer. The polysilicon layer maybe a doped polysilicon layer doped with impurities or an undopedpolysilicon layer not doped with impurities. While the select gate 406and the floating gate 405 in the embodiment show in FIGS. 9A and 9B areplanar gates, in another embodiment the select gate 406 and the floatinggate 405 may have three-dimensional gate structures, for example, fingate structures.

The first portion of the spacers 407 which are formed on sidewalls ofthe select gate 406 and the floating gate 405 may include a dielectriclayer, similar to gate dielectric layer 414 which is formed between theselect gate 406 and the floating gate 405 and the substrate 401. Indetail, the gate dielectric layer 414 and the spacers 407 may include anoxide layer, a nitride layer, an oxynitride layer, or a stack layerthereof.

A first junction region 408 is formed in the substrate 401 on a firstside of the floating gate 405, a second junction region 409 is formed ona second opposing side of the select gate 406, and a third junctionregion 410 is formed between the floating gate 405 and the select gate406. The first junction region 408, second junction region 409, andthird junction region 410 may be impurity regions which are formed byion-implanting impurities of the second conductivity type into thesubstrate 401. The first junction region 408 and the second junctionregion 409 may have LDD structures.

In detail, the first junction region 408 and the second junction region409 include first impurity regions 408A and 409A of the secondconductivity type and second impurity regions 408B and 409B of thesecond conductivity type. The impurity doping concentration of thesecond impurity regions 408B and 409B may be larger than the impuritydoping concentration of the first impurity regions 408A and 409A. Thethird junction region 410 may be formed during a process for forming thefirst impurity regions 408A and 409A.

An interlayer dielectric layer 411 is formed on the surface of thesubstrate 401, and a first contact plug 412 and a second contact plug413 may be connected to the first junction region 408 and the secondjunction region 409, respectively, by passing through the interlayerdielectric layer 411. The first contact plug 412 may be a bar type, andthe second contact plug 413 may be a hole type.

The first contact plug 412 serves as the control gate for coupling thefloating gate 405, in cooperation with the select gate 406. In otherwords, the floating gate 405 may be coupled in response to a bias (forexample, a voltage) applied by the first contact plug 412. To this end,the first contact plug 412 may be disposed parallel and adjacent to thefloating gate 405 with a gap 415 defined therebetween, and may have ashape which contacts the spacer 407 formed on sidewalls of the floatinggate 405. The first contact plug 412 may have a shape which has asidewall facing at least one sidewall of the floating gate 405, and asecond portion of the spacer 407 between the floating gate 405 and thefirst contact plug 412, that is, the second portion of spacer 407 formedin the gap 415, serves as a dielectric layer (for example, an IPD).

Since a nonvolatile memory device with the above-described structure hasthe floating gate 405 and the first contact plug 412 serving as acontrol gate for coupling the floating gate 405, the degree ofintegration and operation characteristics of the nonvolatile memorydevice may be improved when compared to a single gate EEPROM.

Also, since the nonvolatile memory device with the above-describedstructure has the select gate 406 which prevents over-erase, theoperation characteristics of the nonvolatile memory device may befurther improved.

In addition, since the spacer 407 has a shape which fills the spacebetween the select gate 406 and the floating gate 405, the select gate406 may serve as a control gate in cooperation with the first contactplug 412, whereby it is possible to further improve the operationcharacteristics of a nonvolatile memory device.

Moreover, in a nonvolatile memory device with the above-describedstructure, because the first contact plug 412 is used as a control gateand the spacer 407 between the first contact plug 412 and the floatinggate 405 serves as a dielectric layer, it is possible to fabricate anonvolatile memory device without a separate additional process forforming a control gate.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a memory system including anonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, a memory system 1000 may include a nonvolatilememory device 1100, and a memory controller 1200 configured to controldata exchanged between a host HOST and the nonvolatile memory device1100. The nonvolatile memory device 1100 is realized by including a unitcell, operating method and cell array of a nonvolatile memory device inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention. The memorycontroller 1200 may include a CPU 1210, a buffer 1220, an ECC circuit1230, a ROM 1240, a host interface 1250, and a memory interface 1260.

The memory system 1000 may be provided in the form of a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a portable computer, a web tablet, a wireless phone, amobile phone, a digital music player, a memory card, electronic productscapable of transmitting and/or receiving information in a wirelessenvironment, a solid state drive, a camera image sensor, and anapplication chipset.

A nonvolatile memory device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention and an application device including the same may beincluded in various types of packages. For example, a nonvolatile memorydevice and application device including the same may be packaged andmounted in the form of a package on package (PoP), ball grid arrays(BGAs), chip scale packages (CSPs), a plastic leaded chip carrier(PLCC), a plastic dual in-line package (PDIP), a die in waffle pack, adie in wafer form, a chip on board (COB), a ceramic dual in-line package(CERDIP), a plastic metric quad flat package (MQFP), a small outline(SOIC), a shrink small outline package (SSOP), a thin small outlinepackage (TSOP), a thin quad flat package (TQFP), a system in package(SIP), a multi-chip package (MCP), a wafer-level fabricated package(WFP), a wafer-level processed stack package (WSP), and wafer-level chipscale packages (WLCSPs).

As is apparent from the above descriptions, in embodiments of thepresent invention, since a contact plug is used as a control gate and aspacer between a first contact plug and a floating gate serves as adielectric layer, a nonvolatile memory device may be fabricated withouta separate additional process for forming a control gate.

Also, in embodiments of the present invention, since the nonvolatilememory device has the floating gate and the contact plug which serves asthe control gate for coupling the floating gate, the degree ofintegration and the operation characteristics of the nonvolatile memorydevice may be improved.

Further, in embodiments of the present invention, because the spacerbetween the floating gate and the contact plug serves as a dielectriclayer, a fabrication process may be simplified and the degree ofintegration may be increased, and a coupling ratio between the floatinggate and the contact plug may be increased as the degree of integrationincreases.

Although various embodiments have been described for illustrativepurposes, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variouschanges and modifications may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A nonvolatile memory device comprising: afloating gate formed over a substrate; a contact plug formed on a firstside of the floating gate and disposed parallel to the floating gatewith a gap defined therebetween; and a spacer formed on a sidewall ofthe floating gate and filling the gap, wherein the contact plug and thefloating gate have a sufficiently large overlapping area to enable thecontact plug to operate as a control gate for the floating gate.
 2. Thenonvolatile memory device according to claim 1, further comprising: aninterlayer dielectric layer formed over the substrate, wherein thecontact plug passes through the interlayer dielectric layer.
 3. Thenonvolatile memory device according to claim 1, wherein the contact plughas a sidewall which faces a sidewall of the floating gate.
 4. Thenonvolatile memory device according to claim 1, wherein the floatinggate is applied with a voltage sufficient for programming operation orread operation based on a voltage applied to the contact plug.
 5. Thenonvolatile memory device according to claim 1, wherein a coupling ratiobetween the floating gate and the contact plug increases as a width ofthe gap decreases.
 6. A nonvolatile memory device comprising: a floatinggate formed over a substrate; a spacer formed on a sidewall of thefloating gate; a first contact plug formed on a first side of thefloating gate and contacting the spacer, the first contact plug beingspaced apart from the floating gate by a first distance; and a secondcontact plug formed on a second side of the floating gate opposite tothe first side, the second contact plug being spaced apart from thefloating gate by a second distance wherein the first distance is lessthan the second distance, and wherein the first contact plug and thefloating gate have a sufficiently large overlapping area and the firstdistance is sufficiently small to enable the first contact plug tooperate as a control gate for the floating gate.
 7. The nonvolatilememory device according to claim 6, further comprising: an interlayerdielectric layer formed over the substrate, wherein the first and secondcontact plugs pass through the interlayer dielectric layer.
 8. Thenonvolatile memory device according to claim 6, wherein the firstcontact plug has a sidewall which faces a sidewall of the floating gate.9. The nonvolatile memory device according to claim 6, wherein the firstcontact plug and the second contact plug have different shapes.
 10. Thenonvolatile memory device according to claim 6, wherein the firstcontact plug is a bar type, and the second contact plug is a hole type.11. The nonvolatile memory device according to claim 6, wherein adistance between the floating gate and the second contact plug is largerthan a distance between the floating gate and the first contact plug.12. The nonvolatile memory device according to claim 6, wherein a firstfacing area through which sidewalls of the floating gate and the firstcontact plug face each other is larger than a second facing area throughwhich sidewalls of the floating gate and the second contact plug faceeach other.
 13. The nonvolatile memory device according to claim 6,wherein the floating gate is coupled in response to a voltage applied tothe first contact plug.
 14. The nonvolatile memory device according toclaim 6, wherein a coupling ratio between the floating gate and thefirst contact plug increases as the distance between the first contactplug and the floating gate decreases.
 15. A nonvolatile memory devicecomprising: a select gate formed over a substrate; a floating gateformed over the substrate and adjoining the select gate; a spacer formedon sidewalls of the floating gate and the select gate; and a contactplug contacting a portion of the spacer adjacent to the floating gate;wherein the contact plug and the floating gate have a sufficiently lameoverlapping area to enable the contact plug to operate as a control gatefor the floating gate.
 16. The nonvolatile memory device according toclaim 15, wherein the contact plug has a sidewall which faces a sidewallof the floating gate.
 17. The nonvolatile memory device according toclaim 15, wherein the floating gate is coupled in response to a voltageapplied to the contact plug.
 18. The nonvolatile memory device accordingto claim 15, wherein the spacer fills a gap between the select gate andthe floating gate.
 19. The nonvolatile memory device according to claim18, wherein the floating gate has a sidewall which faces a sidewall ofthe select gate.
 20. The nonvolatile memory device according to claim18, wherein the floating gate is coupled in response to a first voltageapplied to the contact plug, and the floating gate is also coupled inresponse to a second voltage applied to the select gate.